Startup 2019 has been launched.
A three-month program targetting Nigerian Entrepreneurs, the initiative will help selected participants solve big problems in a new, better, and cheaper way with free entrepreneurship skills training, mentorship, and funding to help them start and grow their businesses.
It will also aim to solve Nigeria’s youth unemployment problem by equipping young people to create successful startups.
Startup 2019 will draw individuals from the North Central, South East, and North West regions, and focuses on multiple sectors of the economy.
Successful candidates is expected to develop a solution that many Nigerians can afford and is job creating:
In a report released by the World Poverty Clock, it was found that nearly 50% of the Nigerian population live under N694 per day.
The ideal startup Nigeria candidate is developing a solution that all of these people can access and afford.
Not only will it be affordable and accessible to them, but this solution will also create new jobs that these people can take up. This kind of solution is known as a market creating solution.
The startups are expected to develop a solution or is developing a solution that is solving the problem(s) in a new, better and cheaper way (innovative) and is using existing technology like mobile apps & SMS platforms or using new technology like blockchain & artificial intelligence to solve the problem in an efficient manner.
Some of Nigeria’s top business moguls expected to serve as mentors include – Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu and Amal Hassan.